Going to make $2,500 in one week with $0 investment

[oddball]

It's a great skill to be able to hustle quick cash like this, you never know when you or your biz will be in a pinch and you need to make quick cash. I'm on my phone so can't pass rep but I will when I get to my computer, good job Ryan.


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[DeletedUser394]

Plan tomorrow is to do much the same as the past 2 days.

I actually don't mind working on the weekends. When everyone is sleeping I'm bringing in a bit more money. The train is more pleasant when nobody's on it but you haha.

Past couple of hours I sent out 42 emails and got 3 replies. THREE. I can't stress this enough for anyone that's going to try this, you will experience this level of rejection/indifference.

You only need one person to say yes.

This is a weird one, but I saw a temp position for dog poop picker uppers. Apparently people actually have designated routes and drive around picking up dog crap... I didn't know this was a thing.

$150 split over two days. (8 hours maybe? so $18.75/hr give or take). My father/son team can't do tomorrow so I have a family member doing it. College student, could use extra money on a weekend.. $12/hr was my offer so I'm making $6.75/hr doing nothing. That's another $50.

It looks like I'm topping out at around $50-$60 a day. Now obviously, if I actually did some of the work myself I could bump that number up.

So for anyone hopping to get into this, please realize you can make more than $50/day. I'm just making $50/day doing nothing.

 

[SBS.95]

I'm doing this to show people that there are alternatives to a 'crap job anyone can do'. Lots of young guys (and galls) don't want to have to report to a superior.

I'm really glad you said this, and appreciate you sharing your progress on this thread. I've said before that your flipping/hustling thread is what got me to start taking action, and I hope that this thread eventually has the same effect on another forum member that's wasting their time.

It always amazes me just how easy it is to find opportunities like this. The money is out there, just waiting for someone to take it. You don't need an office or startup capital, you just need to DO something rather than spend another evening on the couch watching "Duck Dynasty" or whatever is popular nowadays.

I sit in classes and I hear kids complaining about having to work all weekend for $7.50/hour at Target or JC Penney. When in reality anyone can start hustling and make more money in less time, AND not have to listen to some jerk-off manager who's all proud of her certified-pre-owned Mercedes E-Class (personal jab to my old boss.)

 

[IAmTheJeff]

Between this and @RogueInnovation's thread, I came up with an interesting idea. Now, it requires a bit more of a management type role, and it will be a harder sell, but I think it might work:

I want to execute this same hustle, utilizing homeless guys. Yeah, risky - hence my necessary presence. But I feel like offering them an opportunity to make some money and do something other than begging, might give one or two of them some motivation to keep working. The people get their work done. I make money just like a temp agency, and @RichKid's plan for tomorrow.

Maybe not Fastlane, but definitely helpful, no?

 

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[DeletedUser394]

Personally I wouldn't be comfortable doing that as you don't know what issues they may be dealing with.

Most people aren't homeless because they're lazy; there are usually psychological, addiction, or other disabilities that they are battling.

 

[oddball]

Oh god, homeless people irritate the shit out of me. The begging is ridiculous, sell me something...they are at every stop light it Austin it seems like just begging for money, they don't even offer to clean my windshield. I'd give them a couple bucks if they were at least doing that, it's ridiculous though. Sorry for the rant, I've been drinking. Lol


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[KLaw]

Between this and @RogueInnovation's thread, I came up with an interesting idea. Now, it requires a bit more of a management type role, and it will be a harder sell, but I think it might work:

I want to execute this same hustle, utilizing homeless guys. Yeah, risky - hence my necessary presence. But I feel like offering them an opportunity to make some money and do something other than begging, might give one or two of them some motivation to keep working. The people get their work done. I make money just like a temp agency, and @RichKid's plan for tomorrow.

Maybe not Fastlane, but definitely helpful, no?

IDK, think about it. You may as well do the work yourself and collect all of the payment. Basically, you would be at the job site 100% of the time w/ the homeless guy? Him doing the work, you watching him. It's a noble idea but several obstacles to overcome. How would you clean him up and make him presentable? Does he even have the skill set? How does he get to the job? A lot more of your time would invested in this model. JMO.

 

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[TheChosenOne]

Awesome thread! @RichKid
I'm an engineering student, so my school workload is pretty heavy. It's hard to do well and have a job at the same time, but I will try to execute your idea for some quick cash. Let's see what happens...

 

[SBS.95]

I want to execute this same hustle, utilizing homeless guys. Yeah, risky - hence my necessary presence. But I feel like offering them an opportunity to make some money and do something other than begging, might give one or two of them some motivation to keep working.

I remember reading about a hustling attempt involving homeless workers. I can't find the link to the blog post but I'll try and summarize it-

Guy attempting the hustle bought a case of water for $4. He was going to have homeless people sell it to drivers stuck in rush hour traffic for $1/bottle. He went and got a homeless guy and agreed to meetup the next day. Homeless guy didn't show. He found him under a bridge, completely drunk, and didn't remember who he was or their arrangement.

As RichKid said, these people usually aren't homeless because they're lazy, it's other issues. I see lazy, unmotivated people all the time that aren't homeless- generally collecting money from the government...... charming to know that tax money I paid is being put to good use.

You have a cool idea, but in execution there are going to be a lot of problems. Homeless people probably don't have cell phones- how are you going to contact them and confirm they will be at the job site working? Are homeowners going to feel comfortable letting a homeless guy do work for them? What happens when one of your workers is painting a shed and steals a bunch of equipment to buy alcohol?

 

[DeletedUser394]

This?

http://www.nevblog.com/bottled-water-experiment/

It's actually a good blog post! I like how he documented everything.

 

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[StartupsRFun]

So I decided to try this in my hometown as I saw quite a few yard work, gardening jobs posted, and thought it would be a good experiment. I went on the resume section of Craigslist, typed in yard work, emailed 5 people and got 5 responses back quick. So obviously finding workers wont be hard, now to contact all these job postings. Thanks @RichKid for the thread.

 

[RogueInnovation]

@IAmTheJeff
Depends largely on what he is aiming to do (regarding homeless people)
This guy below recieved criticism for helping a homeless guy, until it actually worked.

Just make sure you can fire them fast, and scale it to work with students, or people going through craigslist looking for a hail mary (to minimise your risk of time invested). Sounds like it will take balls. Also, let them know terms upfront, and set it up right, maybe even journal it as you go so you can put it up after its done to show people the story (story + copy = $$$).

Its certainly thinking "outside the box" though

Kid is exploiting a gap in service in the classifieds niche. Craigslist isn't connecting certain offers, and he is creating a way they can connect. He is doing it manually atm which seems a bit annoying, but with a little more scale there might be something there.

I'd try, "instant" and "easy" as the main sales pitch. Then give directions and instructions to both parties "arrival time, who they are, what was arranged". Then show up upon completion and get the cash. It would be best if he had 5 happening a day, then the $50 would go up to 250$, and he would be making the same as his workers just for connecting the deals, and in 10days would make 2.5k.

I'd say richkid actually succeeded here, he just has an issue getting enough guys to work, but in reality, he just needs to get 5-10 crews and he will have it down.
I'd focus on the pitch, so he can get more crews.

 

[1step]

The weather is getting very nice across the Eastern US, its a great time for spring type tasks. One thing I just thought of was delivering mulch to people in your area. Here, there are tons of people looking for it that don't have a truck to go get it, you could save people a ton of money (over bagged mulch) and deliver it.

The logistics would need to be worked out depending on your location but I know home depot rents trucks for something like $20 an hour. Grab a truck load of mulch and deliver to workers at a few locations. Drop the truck back off and collect the money. Just a theory, I don't have experience doing this but I am a bit inspired by @RichKid so maybe I will try this out to get the full picture and results.

 

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[StartupsRFun]

Just an additional tip for anyone in the states looking to do this. Thumbtack.com is a great way to generate new leads and super easy to set-up.

 

[Stephanos83]

You've definitely achieved 'proof of concept' here. I know you're just doing this as an example, but I think there's a legit way to make this a process and streamline it while lessening your work load. All you need is to maintain a Rolodex of people who want repeat business (workers and job listers). Make some business cards they can pass around to their buddies that need work or want some work done. You can turn repeat customers into lead generators. There's a lot of people that need work done, but have it on the back burner and are too lazy to post an ad on CList. You might also run a simple classified ad in the local newspaper and generate leads that way. If volume picks up, run the calls through a VA. Then hire someone to check on the work being performed and collect your cut.

Maybe it's a far cry with too many moving parts, but I think it would be interesting if you could automate it.

 

[IAmTheJeff]

After I fell asleep early, I woke up and read these - yeah we'll skip the homeless people for now, except the one that knows who I am and actually seems like more of a "shit-got-real-so-he-got-out" type of situation.

Thanks for your insights all!!!

 

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[RHL]

New day @RichKid, $60 rep transferred for the upcoming haul. Go get it!

 

[Bigguns50]

@RichKid ... This just occurred to me. You're a Temp Agency...sort of.

This is BIG business here in MI. They get people looking for work to 'register' with them. When a temporary position opens up, the agency contacts the job seeker. They set up the interview.
Sometimes it's a temp with a possibility of full time hire.

If the company that hired the temp wants to keep the temp full time, they 'buy them out' from the Agency. Thousands of dollars depending on the position.

 

[DeletedUser394]

Yup, that's exactly where I got the idea from

 

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[Bruh]

@RichKid Great stuff! Thanks for sharing everything. Really interesting to see how this works. It's amazing to me how much opportunity there is on craigslist. Once I buy a car, I just want to go crazy on craigslist over the summer. So far, I have mixed experience on craigslist. Definitely need to hustle more. I need to prove to myself that money is everywhere.

I take my fee upfront when we show up. The workers get paid on completion.

Is it unusual to be paid upfront? Do you get paid in full upfront?

Do you need to be there at the start AND end of the project? How much time do you need to spend at the job site (if you're not doing work yourself)?

You guys need to understand that I'm getting rejected 95% of the time.

I think your point on rejection is really valuable. Like you said, the people who do respond with interest often don't follow through. They just waste your time. There's even people who will not follow through when YOU want to buy THEIR STUFF.

 

[DennisD]

Last night I put out a few craigslist ads for a project. I was lookin for videographers and models... but then it occurred to me I can totally produce video remotely doing the exact same thing you're doing here.

1. Contact wedding videographers. Tell them I'm an agency with an overflow of work.. Tell them I'd like to show their work around to prospective clients.
2. Get a copy of their demo reel. Do this for the top 10 companies
3. Edit the demo reels together. Make a really killer reel using my motion graphics and editing skills
4. Accept wedding gigs.
5. Dispatch the videographers
6. $$$$

It wouldn't be too hard to get still photographers on board either. I already have a ton of wedding motion graphics, color correction presets, DVD templates, etc. Might as well throw them together, having other people do most the work, right?

Already booked solid, so I don't know if I have the time.. but once it's set up it'd be mostly passive.

 

[CarrieW]

you could also add in dj's, and catering referrals too then you could hook up with an events planner

the reason I asked about contractors vrs any laborer was because I was considering the dog waste removal biz (I posted in another thread about)

the reason I selected this biz instead of something more like yours was 2 fold...

one we could start and do the initial work ourselves. and two we could hire just about anyone skilled or not, pay them a decent wage(like your example above) and still be able to make money to keep in the business. and get out of the more day to day of it...

I had figured at a max of 4 yards an hour at $25 per yard. that's a max of $100 per hour. if I pay someone else $10 per yard that is still a hell of a mark up...

initially the kids and I were going to start and then slowly transition out to owners/managers and have other people do the shit work for us pun intended...

I figured at least for us with no skills in anything like this it would be the lowest barrier of entry...

 

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[DeletedUser394]

@RichKid


Is it unusual to be paid upfront? Do you get paid in full upfront?

Do you need to be there at the start AND end of the project? How much time do you need to spend at the job site (if you're not doing work yourself)?


I think your point on rejection is really valuable. Like you said, the people who do respond with interest often don't follow through. They just waste your time. There's even people who will not follow through when YOU want to buy THEIR STUFF.

Being paid up front: I can't answer whether it's unusual or not, because I'm literally just making this up/figuring it out as I go along. I've been doing this experiment for a grand total of 3 or 4 days haha.

I get my part up front. (I call it a deposit/downpayment). Laborers are paid by homeowner on completion.

I only show up at the start to make sure the laborers actually show up. If there's a problem, the homeowner can contact me.

I spend anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes at the job site. You just have to make sure everyone shows up and aren't crack heads.

 

[bane]

Hey mate! Great thread! Thanks for all the sharing! Great to get some ideas from.

Out of the whole thread, this is my favourite part

Great plan.

Btw, I had to ask. Is that you in your photo?

No dude, I'm a guy.

hahahahaha. legend!

 

[Bruh]

Being paid up front: I can't answer whether it's unusual or not, because I'm literally just making this up/figuring it out as I go along. I've been doing this experiment for a grand total of 3 or 4 days haha.

I get my part up front. (I call it a deposit/downpayment). Laborers are paid by homeowner on completion.

I only show up at the start to make sure the laborers actually show up. If there's a problem, the homeowner can contact me.

I spend anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes at the job site. You just have to make sure everyone shows up and aren't crack heads.

Ah ok, that makes sense. Seems like it would work just fine. I was thinking that you were paying the laborers. Thanks for the response!

 

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[DeletedUser394]

Booked a painting job. Going to have to do some of the work on this one because otherwise it won't be feasible (I don't know how to paint). I also have a full day at my real job. Fun.

Because I'm doing part of the work, I'm getting $250 (out of $700). They only need one coat to finish. New laborers this time.

I've found myself slacking today, wasted a bunch of time that I could've done something better. Oh well.

I need to lessen my idle time spent on the internet. Maybe from the hours of 9-5 I won't access it unless necessary to make more money. I waste time if I take a lunch break and start browsing.

$415 profit after 5 days into this, and clearly odds are I'm going to 'fail'. Such is life.

Summary

Day 1 (wednesday): $0
Day 2 (thursday): $60
Day 3 (friday): $50
Day 4 (saturday): $55
Day 5 (sunday): $250
Day 6 (monday): TBD
Day 7 (tuesday): TBD
Day 8 (wednesday): TBD

Total

$415

 

[KLaw]

Booked a painting job. Going to have to do some of the work on this one because otherwise it won't be feasible (I don't know how to paint). I also have a full day at my real job. Fun.

Because I'm doing part of the work, I'm getting $250 (out of $700). They only need one coat to finish. New laborers this time.

I've found myself slacking today, wasted a bunch of time that I could've done something better. Oh well.

I need to lessen my idle time spent on the internet. Maybe from the hours of 9-5 I won't access it unless necessary to make more money. I waste time if I take a lunch break and start browsing.

$415 profit after 5 days into this, and clearly odds are I'm going to 'fail'. Such is life.
Summary

Day 1 (wednesday): $0
Day 2 (thursday): $60
Day 3 (friday): $50
Day 4 (saturday): $55
Day 5 (sunday): $250
Day 6 (monday): TBD
Day 7 (tuesday): TBD
Day 8 (wednesday): TBD

Total

$415

Personally, I think you are selling yourself short. In my painting experience it was a 50 / 50 split. I get the work, you do the painting - 50 / 50 on matls and 50 / 50 on the pay (I never picked up a brush or roller - just sales). However, since you dont know how to paint, then obviously you dont know how to estimate properly. But, thats what its all about when you are in the hustle mode.

 

[LIkeafox]

Temp agencies generally get as much if not more than the worker they send out to do the work.

This thread has been amazing, @RichKid you are a craigslist wizard!

 

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[Bigguns50]

@RichKid You live in YYC ? Calgary ?
I want to compare your Craigslist to mine here in MI.

 

[ExecutionisKing]

It always amazes me just how easy it is to find opportunities like this. The money is out there, just waiting for someone to take it. You don't need an office or startup capital, you just need to DO something rather than spend another evening on the couch watching "Duck Dynasty" or whatever is popular nowadays.

I sit in classes and I hear kids complaining about having to work all weekend for $7.50/hour at Target or JC Penney. When in reality anyone can start hustling and make more money in less time, AND not have to listen to some jerk-off manager who's all proud of her certified-pre-owned Mercedes E-Class (personal jab to my old boss.)

This is so true. People don't want to go to the extra effort. The irony is, the extra effort can so easily end up being more profitable than your "normal" effort...

Case in point: I talked to a kid in my class last week who was complaining about how little income he made at his part time min. wage Subway job where he worked a full..... 10 hours a week.
I mentioned craigslist and reselling things and he said, "that sounds like too much effort." When I hear that, I stop offering advice, since they aren't willing to put in the effort.

I thought to myself, he makes $75 a week. For him, like many, "too much effort" is just an excuse for not wanting to take the risk and try something outside the "norm."

Last week, I bought a pair of older discontinued motorcycle gloves for $50 (including shipping), which was normal for the age of the gloves. I happen to know that because of their styling, they go for more than you'd expect.

Sold them for $170 the other day. All I did was paypal the seller money, put pictures of the item up elsewhere, and stamp a new shipping label onto LITERALLY the same envelope I got them in... and made more in 1/2 an hour than he will in almost 2 weeks.

I know that's not Fastlane, full-time, or anything like that... but it's profitable bootstrapping, and always ends up paying for the next thing I flip, or even keep...